There's a Story Behind Every Name
by Kitty.M.Smith
Summary: After attending a ball, the Doppler family comes home. Amelia shoos the boys upstairs to change out of the damned rental suits, and then sits with the girls in the parlor. After Tillie kicks off her heels, causing Amelia to scold her with "Mathilda", the story of her name comes up, and thereafter all the other names of the Doppler bunch. Damn I suck ass at summeries.


I recently got a book that told of the Doppler children, and this was spawned. I hope it's not too sappy or stupid or whatever. I'll be doing all the kids names, and possibly the parents.

I own anything not Disney.

* * *

Amelia smiled at her daughters and son, setting her handbag on the table beside the door, removing her white lace shawl from her shoulders and putting it beside it. She then removed her crimson gloves and set them with it. She turned, her dress twisting and bouncing back, the small cage under it making a slight clanging noise. She patted the many elegant layers of the maroon and white gown and then hugged Tillie, her blonde daughter. The young woman nearly picked her mother up in her enthusiastic hug back, her grin wide and her curls bouncing. Her sleek one sleeved dress with golden accents around the breasts brought out her blue eyes and lightly tanned fur. Matey then hugged her mother, her dress very similar to hers, making her look nearly like her clone. Then Jib, the murky green eyed brunette, swooped her mother up and twirled her around, her shoulderless aquamarine dress showing off her white and brown shoulder spots and hugging her curves.

Amelia laughed merrily and patted down her hair, which she'd done up in a lovely curled bun. "Mama, that was amazing!" Jib cried, rosy cheeked, letting down her wavy locks. She looked so much like her father, who entered just then after putting Delilah away. He smiled at the daughter that most resembled him but for the near-carbon copy that their son was-though Sunny was a good two inches taller, putting him at 6'4.

"I'm glad you all enjoyed yourselves. You did enjoy yourself, didn't you, Sunny?" Amelia glanced over to him. He grinned a bit boyishly. "I got a girl's number."

The girls all laughed, and Amelia rolled her eyes as Delbert joined in. "Bloody hell. You did nothing but chase after girls, didn't you?" She gave him a soft smile. The seventeen year old grinned. "Well isn't that what the occasion was for? Courtship?" He said in an almost teasing tone while looking at his sisters. They all rolled their eyes and shook their heads unanimously.

"...It was a dance at the palace so...well damn it Sunny." She whacked him. "You just hush up now. Go and take off that suit, we've got to return it to the tailor tomorrow-you too, Delbert. I don't want to have some apprentice here trying to get late fees again." She gave her husband a look while putting her hands on her hips. Delbert held up his hands in surrender.

"Needn't bring in the hips, dear."

"Hush up and change."

"Alright, alright, I'm going you ornery old broad."

"What was that Delbert Bartholomew Doppler?" Amelia said edgily, her voice rising.

"I love you darling." He dashed up the stairs.

"Hehehe, he called you ornery, Mama." Matey chuckled. Amelia made a "hmph" sound, shaking her head. "I'm hogging the covers tonight, that ought to teach him to think aloud things that should be kept in his bloomin' head."

The children rolled their eyes. There was often lighthearted bickering between the couple. It was always resolved an hour or so later. While Sunny went up to change, the girls followed their mother to the parlor, where they all sat, still in their dresses. Tillie kicked off her heels, which went flying over Amelia's head and into a corner.

"Mathilda!" Amelia chastised, removing her earrings and taking a cloth, wiping off her makeup. Though a generally masculine woman, Amelia felt there were certain times and places that called for enhanced feminity, and certain items-like heels- that deserved better treatment than a pair of dirty play shoes.

Tillie winced. Both their parents rarely called them by their full names. When they did, though, they were usually in trouble. "Sorry, Mum."

"Why'd you name her that anyhow?" Matey asked, slipping off her own heels. Her feet were sore from dancing with many a handsome young man, and she rubbed them. Amelia raised an eyebrow. "Ah, well, it's the name of a woman very dear to me, one I knew very well, and who helped me often."

"A woman like Auntie Sarah?" She questioned. Tillie had the middle name "Sarah", after their parents dear friend and the children's "aunt".

"Well..." Amelia crossed her legs and smoothed out her dress thoughtfully. "A woman who saved my life."

"...Can we have a story, Mama?" Tillie asked curiously. A story from their mother was always beloved by the children. Amelia smiled at the mention of it. Story telling was something she enjoyed as much as they did.

"Well...alright then, get comfy now-no, no don't sit like that-and Jib you musn't shove-there you go. Now then...I'm going to tell you the story of Mathtilda, the very reason your dear mother is here today."

* * *

Shivering. Cold. Her breath was barely visible in the night air that made her joints stiff and her lungs scream. She treadled on. Her muscles cried in agony. Her fingers felt nothing. Her shawl flapped in the wind, and her hat did nothing against the blizzard pushing against her. Pain was even becoming a luxury. This was pure torture; a burning poison she was being forced to swallow with each stinging breath. Looking forward brought little hope. The small twinkle. That was it. That was all she saw; the thing she'd been following for hours upon hours. Her lighthouse. If she could just make it there...

Her teeth chattered. Her body shook. Each pounding step was stiff, unnatural. She wasn't even here anymore. She was a robot, programmed. Go for the light. Reach the objective. Reach. The. Light. Don't pay attention to anything but. That. Light. Those were her directions, ones that were absolutely necessary for the completion of her one and only mission: to reach the Golden Gates another day, another time, but not now. Not for a long, long while.

With her head dipped low near constantly, Amelia didn't realize it when she reached her light. A small town, ice coating the buildings, the wind wooshing through and creating an eerie atmosphere that anyone not nearly frozen would have been unnerved by. Amelia might have passed it if her body hadn't decided enough was enough and stopped moving. She fell forward, face-planting the snow. She lay there, shivering, coughing, sputtering and shaking like an old engine. Slowly, she closed her eyes, and she was out.

She wasn't dead. What a surprise. Amelia looked around with half open eyes at the cozy and warm cabin that she was in. Her joints were beyond stiff, and her body was so sore each move made her want to scream, though she moved anyhow. Her stomach was growling like a ferocious bear. She was weak, and thin. She turned on her side as her vision cleared, moving her jaw, sloshing salivia around. She could see people through the windows, all bundled up like eskimos. She noticed her coat, boots, gloves and hat hanging, dry. Her mind slowly toook in everything the warm little cabin had to offer, which was conveinant when a woman walked in.

She was rotund, with a cheery round face and a mop of snow white hair on top of her head. She was a hybrid of some sort, looking mostly human, but seeming to possess scales on her cheeks, scales scattered on her soft hands, and webbed toes with a spike on the back of each ankle.

"W-who a-a-are you?" Amelia stammered, slowly sitting up; her joints popping, her jaw creaking in her head like an old wooden step. The woman smiled brightly at her as she took off her coat and came over.

"Goodness, child. I thought you were dead for a long while! Now look at you, awake and speaking, goodness you must be starving."

"I-"

"Eat first, questions later. You're thin as a rail, you are, even before I brought you in here." She got up, going to a fridge-like device and pulling what seemed to be a bowl of stew from it, dumping it into a pot and putting it on a woodburning stove. amelia sat and watched, curious, and starving. The tantalizing scent of stew drifted from where it cooked. Amelia felt herself relax as the woman continued to jabber.

"I found you right outside my door, really. I was just going out to set out the milk bottles when the storm had died down and there you were! Face first in the snow. I thought you were surely dead, but something said you still had a little life in you. You've been asleep for nearly a week now, you know. You tossed and turned and cried sometimes, but otherwise you were just a little silent log. Fed you some broth when I could, but otherwise haven't done a thing but take those clothes off you. I'm glad you're finally awake. I was getting rather lonely here, though I do suppose you have somewhere to be. That jacket has a Royal Navy badge on the chest. That means you're in the navy, doesn't it? Or is it your husband's coat? I bet it's you're husband's coat, isn't it? It's rather la-"

"I-It's mine, m-miss." Amelia interrupted. The woman only nodded. "Ah, alright. Just making sure. What's your name? It doesn't say on the blasted thing."

Amelia smiled slightly as the woman brought over the stew. "Amelia."

"Ah, what a beautiful name. Fitting for you. It's strong, means "worker", you know. I can see it in you. You should have been dead hours before I came out. I think God has plans for you, child. How old are you? I bet you're-"

"Twenty three, miss." Amelia said clearly after a few spoonfuls of the hearty stew.

"Ah, young one yet." The woman nodded. "I'm Mathilda, by the way. Matilda with an "H". Mother always thought it looked prettier."

"Very nice." Ameila answered quietly. Blessed quiet came after that, until she was done with the stew. Mathilda took the bowl from her and put it in a sink and then held out her hand. Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"Well, c'mon then. Best get you walking before your legs decide they'll never work again. Don't give me any bull about them being sore, now, I know they are. That's why you need to walk."

Amelia didn't know what else to do but listen, and grabbed her hand. She swung her legs over, clenching her teeth to prevent any whimpering. Mathilda lifted her up, and she cried out before collapsing. Mathilda catched her and made her stand again. And again, and again, and again until Amelia could stand on her own. She was amazed how this was working, and she felt oddly good after she got her muscles working. Mathilda didn't stop there, oh no. After that she had Amelia step, slowly and carefully, gaining more and more ability over the next few hours. They'd stop for breaks, but start right up again. Amelia was tired as hell, but she felt..good. Oddly. She shouldn't be feeling that good, she figured. Energetic wasn't the word for it. Maybe...alive.

"Mathilda...you're bloody brilliant." Amelia breathed as she finally sat on the cot that Mathilda had set her up on. Mathilda smiled and gave her a bowl of stew.

"Thank you, my dear. Now, what brought you out here? This is about as far out from any usual civilization you can get."

"I can tell...I, um, I was doing work for the Navy. I...can't be very detailed on the matter."

"Sworn to secracy?"

"Aye." Amelia nodded. Mathilda nodded back in understanding. "I understand."

"Heh..well, either way...plans went horribly wrong. It...we were on a ship and I had to get off. Took a lifeboat, but it didn't last long. Landed me in the middle of no where. I walked who knows how long until collapsing where you found me. I was just following some...some light when the blizzard came."

"God truely does have a plan for you. No one has ever survived a blizzard out here."

"Heh. Well I'm glad his plan keeps me here a bit longer." Amelia stretched slowly, meowing slightly, realizing just how tired she was.

"Sleep, dear." Mathilda smiled. Amelia didn't object, falling into the cot and pulling the blankets around her.

"When you're well again, I'll call for the Navy to pick you up. Does that sound good?"

Amelia smiled with half open eyes. "Brilliant...Mathilda."

Weeks or months later, Amelia didn't know. She was well again, though. That's all she knew or cared about. She was well and strong-stronger than she ever thought she'd be. She'd never gotten ill while spending her time in the arctic enviroment of a town literally named "No Where". The Navy carriage, made of steel and pulled by some form of bear, waited outside Mathilda's door.

"Be careful, now." Said Mathilda near tearfully. They'd grown quite close over the time they spent together. Amelia hugged her, smiling. She pulled back, looking up at her fondly.

"I will be, Mathilda." She said. "I...can't thank you enough for what you've done for me. Without you, I would be lost."

Mathilda smiled. "No thanks, dear. I was simply doing what was right."

Amelia chuckled. "I swear, if I ever have children, I'm naming one after you."

"Really?" Mathilda raised both eyebrows in surprise. Amelia paused and then nodded. It was the only way she could think to really honor this woman, remember her, whatever it was. Besides...it was a lovely name. Mathilda grabbed up Amelia in a great big hug and then put her down. "You go get in that carriage now." She smiled, tearing up. Amelia grinned and ran to it, opening the door and stepping in. She turned before closing the door and waved. Mathilda waved back, and then the carriage was off. Yes. Mathilda was a lovely name.


End file.
